Heroic Heartbreak
by CanzetYote
Summary: Dog The Mighty is devastated and questions his status as a hero after a terminally ill fan of his dies. Cat helps comfort a distraught Dog.


He was gone, dead, vanished. The heroic canine was too late. He couldn't help but feel like an idiot, only fooling himself into thinking his powers could save the day. It was all a fantasy. The moment the phone rang and the moment Cat delivered the news, he felt his bright and colorful superhero world fade to a dull and bleak shade of grey. Dog The Mighty could only stare at the ground in complete and utter silence as he slowly tore off his mask and dropped it to the floor. Cat was at a loss for words. Dog didn't utter a single syllable for almost 20 minutes. Cat could just feel an aura of pure depression and despair radiating from his once cheerful and fun-loving brother.

It all started when a mother called upon Dog The Mighty to pay weekly visits to her son, Kyle, a young skunk boy who was terminally ill with cancer. They talked, they laughed, they bonded. It was one of Dog's few adventures that Cat was happy to take part of as it didn't involve any messy garbage or loud parties. Kyle was one of Dog The Mighty's biggest fans and Dog had promised that he would find a way to defeat the "evil space crabs" that plagued Kyle's body. The canine thought that cancer was caused by evil space crabs because he got the disease mixed up with the astrological sign. Surprisingly enough, Cat found Dog's quest to vanquish the alien crustaceans rather adorable and endearing. He didn't want to burst Dog's bubble by telling him the horrible truth behind the disease that it had nothing to do with actual crabs. Kyle even gave Dog a present, a silver medallion that said "My Hero" on it.

Dog took that very same medallion off his neck and stared down at it. Slowly, his vision began to mist up with tears. Dog blinked and felt a salty tear roll down his snout and drip off his big purple nose. It fell directly upon the silver medallion and a sob escaped his throat.

"Dog?"

Clenching the medallion in his fist and gritting his teeth in anger, Dog threw the medallion clear across the room in a rage, "I'M NOT A HERO! I'M A LIAR! A SHAM! A FRAUD! I couldn't save him, Cat! I JUST COULDN'T SAVE HIM!"

Blinded by emotion, the canine half rushed up the stairs in a hurry, dragging his feline half up the staircase and made a mad dash for their bedroom. Finally, Dog collapsed on his half of the bed and sobbed into his pillow, thin rivers of hot tears streaming down his muzzle as he angrily pounded his fists against the pillow. Furiously, he took his gloves off and threw them on the ground before proceeding to rip his cape in half.

Cat could only watch as Dog's tearful tantrum unfolded before his anger soon subsided and he broke down into another fit of sobs again. Throwing caution to the wind, Cat wrapped his arms around Dog and pulled him into a close embrace, allowing him to cry on his shoulder. It was a good 10 minutes before Cat managed to calm Dog down to a few quiet sniffles.

Opening his tear-stung eyes, Dog just stared at Cat, "Cat...I...I'm a failure...there are so many other heroes out there...like Mean Bob. So much better than me..."

"But Dog...you were a hero in the eyes of that boy. He really looked up to you." Cat replied, rubbing Dog's back to try and soothe him.

"So? I failed him. It's all my fault he's dead. If only I was smart enough to beat the space crabs sooner, he might have stood a chance." Dog whimpered, trying not to cry again.

"Dog, Cancer isn't really caused by space crabs. It's a terminal illness." Cat confessed, "That boy was already serving out a death sentence. There wasn't anything you could do to save him. I know it's hard to say but...even with all the treatments he was getting, the poor kid was doomed from the start and it was only a matter of time before he..."

"Died?" Dog finished Cat's sentence.

"Precisely." Cat nodded, try to hold back his own tears.

"So, he was going to die anyway?" Dog choked out, a single tear rolling down his muzzle from his ringed eye.

Frowning, Cat laid a hand on his brother's shoulder before tenderly brushing the tear from Dog's muzzle with his thumb, "I'm afraid so, Dog. I know it's a bitter pill to swallow, but Kyle had terminal illness but you know what? You did everything you could in your power to make sure his final days were worth living. Even if you couldn't save his life, you were still a hero to him."

A gentle smile slowly formed on the canine's tear-matted face before he leaned forward and pulled cat into a hug, "Thanks, Cat." He said, giving the feline half a brotherly nuzzle.

Cat closed his eyes, allowing his own warm tears to run down his face, "You...did a good thing, Dog. I'm sure Kyle is smiling down on you right now."

"You think so, Cat?" Dog asked innocently.

"I know so, Dog. I know so." Cat replied back, wiping the tears off his cheeks.

The end.


End file.
